Five Takeaways From Week One of Indiana High School Basketball

<p>Thanksgiving week means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. There is the obvious holiday celebration with family and loved ones. At the college basketball level we get "Feast Week" which is the best regular season slate of games until Champ Week and March Madness. However, here at the high school level in the state of Indiana, Thanksgiving marks the start of another season. Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage from three games while always keeping our eyes and ears in gyms all across the state. Let's highlight five big picture takeaways from week one.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Crispus Attucks Makes a Statement</h2>   <p>Anyone who follows Indiana High School Basketball closely knew that Crispus Attucks would be very good once again this season. However, this sort of a start still will turn some heads. We had the Tigers ranked #2 in Class 3A and #7 overall in our Prep Hoops Indiana Super Poll. On Saturday evening they knocked off #3 Lawrence North 63-54. That alone would be impressive enough. Then, you consider the fact that they played the game without Indiana All-Star candidate [player_tooltip player_id='1297019' first='Dezmon' last='Briscoe'] and you start to get a feel for how truly dangerous this team can be.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1297037' first='Imon' last='Cousins'], a senior guard, has been excellent to start the season for the Tigers. His addition next to IU-South Bend recruit [player_tooltip player_id='1297004' first='Chris' last='Hurt'] has been a real revelation for Coach Chris Hawkins this season. Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1534940' first='Kayden' last='English'] continues to breakout as well and should attract some college attention throughout the season. Crispus Attucks is now 3-0 with wins over Arsenal Tech, John Burroughs (MO), and Lawrence North. Even without Briscoe, they will have a shot this coming week against North Central and at the Sneakers For Santa Classic against East Chicago Central.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jeffersonville Proves Themselves in Opener</h2>   <p>We just discussed Crispus Attucks' impressive win over Lawrence North without Briscoe. They weren't the only Top 10 team to pick up a big win without their best player. Northwestern signee [player_tooltip player_id='1388408' first='Tre' last='Singleton'] is going to miss some time to begin this season, but that didn't keep the Red Devils from beating Cathedral 67-65 on Saturday evening. Wright State recruit [player_tooltip player_id='1297093' first='Michael' last='Cooper'] poured in 29 points to help Jeff come away victorious. These teams were ranked #2 and #6 respectively in the Prep Hoops Indiana Preseason Super Poll.</p>   <p>The Red Devils host Evansville North on Friday before heading to Indian Hills, Ohio to take on Pike in a showcase game on Saturday afternoon. If Jeffersonville can survive their schedule in Singleton's absence they will have a chance to do something very special this season.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Big Time Scorers Put Up Big Time Numbers</h2>   <p>Christian Academy got their season started with a pair of convincing victories at the Loughmiller Tournament at Loogootee High School. The Warriors dominated Trinity Lutheran 74-28 and host Loogootee 63-39. Marian recruit [player_tooltip player_id='1297066' first='Joshua' last='Renfro'] put up 32 and 33 points in the two games to get his senior season off to an incredible start.</p>   <p>North Central (Farmersburg) is off to a 3-1 start with their only loss coming in double overtime, 90-83, over Terre Haute South. A big part of their success has been senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2404024' first='Ethan' last='Willis']. In a pair of games on Friday, followed by the double overtime contest on Saturday, Willis scored 103 combined points. That included a 40-point performance against Terre Haute South. Willis can really shoot it, rebounds the ball well, and is a versatile defender. Definitely one for college programs to keep an eye on this season.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1296984' first='Braylon' last='Mullins'] did [player_tooltip player_id='1296984' first='Braylon' last='Mullins'] things in game one. The UConn signee went for 35 points in his senior season opener as Greenfield-Central defeated Beech Grove 62-38.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Parke Heritage Proves They Can Play With Anyone</h2>   <p>That headline should probably read "Parke Heritage Proves They Can BEAT Anyone." There are few guards in the state of Indiana that impact winning in the way that [player_tooltip player_id='1560965' first='Treigh' last='Schelsky'] does. The junior point guard led his team to the Semi State Semi-Finals as a freshman and then the Semi State Finals as a sophomore. On Saturday the Wolves knocked off Class 4A Plainfield, ranked #18 in the Prep Hoops Indiana Preseason Super Poll, for one of the most impressive victories of the young season.</p>   <p>Parke Heritage currently has five scorers averaging in double figures led by BT Luce at 16.0 points per game. [player_tooltip player_id='1297106' first='Renn' last='Harper'] and Schelsky each are putting up 12.5 points per game. Isaac Pikel and [player_tooltip player_id='2140339' first='Carter' last='Crum'] currently sit at 10.0 points per game. They will take part in the Banks of Wabash Tournament which gets started on Friday, December 6th against South Vermillion.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Carmel Avenges Season Opening Loss</h2>   <p>Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground last season when Zionsville dominated Carmel on the opening night of the high school basketball season. The shoe was on the other foot to begin the 2024 season. Huntington signee [player_tooltip player_id='1296972' first='Alex' last='Couto'] put up 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists to lead the Greyhounds 54-43 over Zionsville. Indiana Junior All-Star candidate [player_tooltip player_id='1560952' first='Evan' last='Harrell'] added 11 points and 6 rebounds.</p>   <p>The Greyhounds will take on Lawrence Central on Friday night and then play at Plainfield on Saturday.</p>

Thanksgiving week means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. There is the obvious holiday celebration with family and loved ones. At the college basketball level we get "Feast Week" which is the best regular season slate of games until Champ Week and March Madness. However, here at the high school level in the state of Indiana, Thanksgiving marks the start of another season. Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage from three games while always keeping our eyes and ears in gyms all across the state. Let's highlight five big picture takeaways from week one.